[throndor]

Hies,
Been several months since i got the k100d sup. and now i have to buy a FLASH. I am overwhelmed with the info supplied and as i never used any besides the on camera flash i always get the feeling that i am gonna miss a point when buying.. I'll be glad if you help me out on a few points

I use; k100d super, got the kit lens and the SMC-FA 50/1.4.. And have several MF lenses.. So i do and will use AFs anf MFs with the flash..

The things i am willing to learn are;

1- Is the ability to flash synch at any shutter speed found on practically all of the modern flashes or should it strictly be a P-TTL.. (the thing where flash goes on and off trough the entire exposure time).. do all P-TTLs have it..

2- What is the deal with wireless compatibility? When you say it doesn't work well wireless, do you mean with wireless devices like the "pocket wizards" or do you mean "when triggering with help of the on camera flash (which means "as a slave" if i understand correctly)

3- I heard about this "pocket wizard" things on a video tutorial.. I like the way they work and I guess they are just what i need.. do i look for something special when buying or do i go for any pocket wizard that says "pentax compatible"..

4- from what i read i understand that i need an "auto" mode to work with MF lenses..Whats the difference with p-ttl.. An article or some other info source would do just fine if you do not feel like typing..

5- When the on camera flash fires off to set off a slave, does the initial on-cam-flash still have effect on the exposure or does it fire off in an instant before the exposure only to let the slave know that it's gonna fire some miliseconds later..

like i said, any article you can point will do just fine if you do not feel like typing the yourself..

Thanx

[lbam]

Point 2 is probably an issue with the ambient light stopping the slave light from noticing the on camera flash, and hence not firing.

Point 3 I bought wireless flash waves, and they are compatible with Canon, Nikon Pentax, and Olympus, you only have to buy a different model of theirs if you are using a Minolta/Sony. I'd imagine it's not an issue with pocket wizards also.

In answer to point 5, I believe you have a choice of on board flash either being involved in the exposure or not. It's an option on the K20D in the menu.. I forget which number option it is, but it's in the forth column if my memory serves me right.

[mattdm]

1- Is the ability to flash synch at any shutter speed found on practically all of the modern flashes or should it strictly be a P-TTL.. (the thing where flash goes on and off trough the entire exposure time).. do all P-TTLs have it..

Pentax calls this feature "high speed sync". (And Metz does too.) Sigma calls it "FP flash", and you'll only find it on the "Super" variants of their P-TTL flashes.

2- What is the deal with wireless compatibility? When you say it doesn't work well wireless, do you mean with wireless devices like the "pocket wizards" or do you mean "when triggering with help of the on camera flash (which means "as a slave" if i understand correctly)

Can't speak for everyone, but I mean the optical wireless P-TTL feature. This is more sophisticated than a normal slave setup, and more so than even a pocket wizard type device, because the flashes exchange exposure information in a preflash. It works amazingly well.

Also, the on-camera flash on the K100D can't be used as a controller — you need a K10D, K20D, or K200D. Not sure about the K1000/K-m or about some of the *ist models.

Pentax AF360FGZ and AF540FGZ have the feature, but the AF200FG unfortunately doesn't. (Note to reader: help me lobby Pentax on this one. As it is, the AF200FG is only a "starter" flash and needs to be replaced as your system grows, and I'll never buy one. If it could be triggered wirelessly, I'd buy two. E-mail customer service about this.) Both of the higher-end flashes can also be used as controllers on the camera, and I'm pretty sure the AF200FG can't.

Sigma's Super flash can do it, but not the non-super.

Metz 48 AF-1 and 58 AF-1 can both work as slaves, but curiously only the more powerful 58 AF-1 unit can act as the on-camera controller.

3- I heard about this "pocket wizard" things on a video tutorial.. I like the way they work and I guess they are just what i need.. do i look for something special when buying or do i go for any pocket wizard that says "pentax compatible"..

Those all work in manual mode with no P-TTL, so they're generic. (Both good and bad sides to that.)

4- from what i read i understand that i need an "auto" mode to work with MF lenses..Whats the difference with p-ttl.. An article or some other info source would do just fine if you do not feel like typing..

Pentax's P-TTL auto-flash stuff doesn't work with manual lenses at all, unfortunately. Including wirelessly.

5- When the on camera flash fires off to set off a slave, does the initial on-cam-flash still have effect on the exposure or does it fire off in an instant before the exposure only to let the slave know that it's gonna fire some miliseconds later..

When using wireless P-TTL with the K10D or newer, this is a selectable option.

[tomtor]

4- from what i read i understand that i need an "auto" mode to work with MF lenses..Whats the difference with p-ttl..

You need an auto flash only for old lenses which don't have an A setting on the aperture ring.

MF lenses with an A setting work fine with PTTL.

[throndor]

Thanx everyone for replies. They were more than sufficient..